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Dartlog is a weblog run by The Dartmouth Review. The site is updated daily with the latest in news about Dartmouth College, Dartmouth students, Dartmouth faculty, and Dartmouth alumni. In other words, "Everything Dartmouth, Every Day."

Contributors are all Dartmouth Review staff, editors, or alumni. Any TDR alumnus/ae wishing to become a contributor should email us at dartlog@dartreview.com. Students wishing the same should join The Dartmouth Review staff by contacting the editor at editor@dartreview.com.

Responses to posts, tips, comments, and queries may be sent as well to dartlog@dartreview.com. If your message is not for publication, please say so prominently.

Monday, March 09, 2009

Now that the Presidential Search is finally over, TDR has been hearing whispers-a-plenty about the search for a new e-mail system to replace BlitzMail. Although the survey distributed via Blitz offered a variety of options for students to choose from, it turns out the only two options that have ever been seriously considered are Microsoft Exchange and Google. Neither the two choices nor the administration's ignoring student input should come as a surprises. Microsoft has been reportedly wining and dining (literally) Ellen Waite-Franzen, Dartmouth's CIO, and the IT department is leaning heavily in Microsoft's direction. However, far more students are familiar with Google's solutions (such as GMail, Google Documents, Google Calendar). It'll be interesting to see where this one goes.

Friday, March 06, 2009

About what you'd expect. There is the promise to 'learn as much as I can from this mistake' and similar essentially meaningless gestures in the controversy that never should have been. Will this be the end?

I would like to apologize to the entire Dartmouth community for the offense and harm that I caused by writing the Generic Good Morning Message listserv on Tuesday morning. I was the anonymous GGMM intern cited in the D as "Lozar Theofilactidis," and the words were all mine.

I understand that the message I wrote was very hurtful and insensitive. I know that no apology can make up for the pain I've caused, but I hope that it can be a start. I also know that no matter what justification I can attempt to provide for my actions, I've directly harmed the College, and I'm sorry for that.

Read the remainder after the break

I hope you can all understand that my intent was never one of malice against the Asian community, but an extremely crass attempt at hyperbolic satire. I was initially trying to criticize what I perceived to be surprise among many at the naming of an Asian-American President-Elect, Dr. Kim. I then tried to broaden my attack to encompass all of the reactionary, xenophobic, neo-Patriotism that exists in our post 9/11 America. I tried to create a narrator that would be viewed as ignorant, and I hoped that by removing any semblance of subtlety, this voice would not be taken seriously. I realize now that somewhere in that transformation, the specific target of my satire was lost, and all that remained on the page were my extremely racist words.

That being said, I now know that I can't hide behind my "intent." Intent and execution are two entirely different things. I know I hurt many people personally, and damaged the reputation of the College publicly. I deeply regret my actions and the harm I have caused. I had no right to spread a message that alienated and belittled one ethic group, particularly one to which I do not belong.

I also realize that this reaction of surprise that I perceived among some students was not racist or xenophobic at all, but rather appropriate. Come July, we will have the first Asian-American Ivy League President, proudly breaking a tradition of largely Caucasian male Presidents. I know the entire College community is very proud of this fact.

The student body's response in defense of Dr. Kim, both privately and publicly, has been overwhelmingly positive. The D's article yesterday, "E-mail on Kim stirs controversy," clearly showed that my misinterpreted words do not represent Dartmouth's actual opinions of Dr. Kim's election. I know that my message seemed to act as a flagship of student opinion outside of Hanover, and I apologize for giving that a chance to happen.

I have started, along with the rest of the GGMM staff, to try to find ways that the whole community can learn from this experience. We are meeting with OPAL and the Pan-Asian Council to try to find a constructive strategy moving forward. Among the comedy groups at Dartmouth, I hope we can find a way to try to prevent offensive lines in satire from being crossed again, as they have been in the past. I hope that my incendiary message at least provoked some discussion about race and inclusively on campus, but I am ashamed that it required so much offense and hurt for this to happen.

I know I can never take back what I wrote. I am sorry if I hurt you personally, and I am sorry for affecting the College in such a negative way. If you would like to speak to me individually about this, I would love to do so. Perhaps at the beginning of next term, after finals, would be the best time. I promise you I am going to learn as much as I can from this mistake.

On Tuesday, March 3, Chabad hosted a screening of Refusenik, a new documentary by director Laura Bialis. Told entirely through primary sources and the testimonies of interview subjects, the film poignantly documents the struggle, beginning in the 1960’s, of the many Soviet Jews who were refused permission to emigrate. For asking to leave a country which suppressed their religion, their history, and their culture, these “refuseniks” often lost their jobs. It became common for professors and scientists to be reduced to working as elevator operators. Other, even less fortunate, refuseniks found themselves in prisons, labor camps, or mental institutions.

Fortunately, American citizens were not blind to their plight. In addition to holding protest rallies in America, supporters of the refuseniks would visit the USSR, slip away from their official tours, and secretly meet with Jewish families. One subject recalls writing the names of such families in code in his checkbook—Soviet customs would not allow tourists to carry such information openly. The pressure mounted on the U.S. government, which in turn began to press the USSR on the issue. Eventually, Mikhail Gorbachev’s government eased the emigration policy, allowing most refuseniks to leave.

Director Laura Bialis was present at the screening. She explained that she hopes that the film will rekindle awareness of an almost forgotten part of history. She also noted that it might give post-Cold War generations an idea of how frightening the Soviet Union was. Finally, Bialis described her next project, a documentary on the music scene in the rocket-ravaged Israeli town of Sderot.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

In what is hopefully the nail on the coffin of this "controversy," both President Wright and President-select Kim released letters to the Dartmouth community reacting to the satire sent to the "Generic Good Morning Message" listserv on Tuesday. Although ideally Dartmouth students would be able to diffuse a trivial situation like this on their own, without calling on bureaucrats to address the matter for them, Kim's response reflected well on his ability to maintain a sense of perspective:

Finally, I want to ensure that the student who wrote the email understands the enriching role that people of diverse backgrounds will play in his life. But I also don't want this lapse in judgment to limit his prospects for the future. Dartmouth students are very talented, but we all make mistakes - especially when we are young.

Of note is the contrast between both letters in assessing the student body reaction: President Wright declares that the satire "was hurtful to our Asian and our Asian American community and indeed to all of us," while Kim makes the less hysterical statement that he is "concerned about the Asian, Asian American and many other students who have been upset by this incident."

As many of you know, a student sent an email Tuesday via the "Generic Good Morning Message" listserv that contained a reference to Dr. Jim Yong Kim's appointment as Dartmouth's next president laced with racial stereotypes and slurs. (The GGMM is an independent and tongue-in-cheek summary of the day's news written and edited by a group of students and distributed to about 1,000 subscribers.)I share in the dismay expressed by many in our community about this unfortunate and unsuccessful attempt at humor.

This message was hurtful to our Asian and our Asian American community and indeed to all of us. The announcement of Dr. Kim's election as the 17th president has been received enthusiastically across the campus and by all members of the Dartmouth community, and it has been celebrated nationally and internationally. In fact, Dartmouth's selection of the first Asian American to lead an Ivy League institution is an historic event.

The student email that was circulated does not represent in any way the mood we share or Dartmouth's characteristic values, and it will not deter us from continuing to celebrate Dr. Kim's appointment. We look forward to warmly welcoming Dr. Kim and his family to this open and gracious community.

Dr. Kim and I have spoken about this. He is committed to the sentiment of so many of us that these kinds of occasions create an obligation and opportunity for learning and for reaffirming our commitment to inclusivity. He asked me if I would share with the community the attached letter (below). During the spring, we will be looking for opportunities for the Kim family to meet with community members who are so enthusiastic about Dr. Kim's appointment.

The editors of the GGMM are equally dismayed and sorry about the posting they circulated, as is its author. They sent an apology this week to their subscribers and to "The Dartmouth," which quoted from it today. My colleagues and I are meeting both with students involved in, and those deeply concerned about, what was posted. As always, I have been impressed by our community's individual and collective capacity to learn and to care for one another.

I wish you well with your final examinations and end-of-term work and thank you for caring so deeply about Dartmouth's values.

Sincerely,

James Wright

LETTER FROM DR. KIM

Dear Fellow Members of the Dartmouth Family,

Let me first thank you again for the overwhelmingly warm reception you gave to me on Monday. I was thrilled to be with you for the first time and I can't tell you how excited and honored I am to be your next President. Since Monday, I have been deluged with welcoming notes from people throughout the Dartmouth family. I am truly touched by the warmth of this community, and I can't wait to get started in July. This past week was indeed one of the most wonderful of my life.

I write to you today, though, because I have received a number of questions about an unfortunate email sent by a student on Tuesday. After some reflection, I have three main concerns that I would like to share with all of you.

First, I'm concerned that people outside our community will not understand the tremendous work Dartmouth has done to build a diverse and inclusive campus that cherishes free speech, but also nurtures mutual respect and civility. President Jim Wright and the entire Dartmouth family have worked tirelessly to foster an open, engaged community that has dealt effectively with issues of racism, sexism and other forms of bias. We'll debate the issues as directly as any campus in America, but always with tolerance and respect for one another. We need to make sure that the world understands that Dartmouth, which is approximately 40% students of color and international students, welcomes everyone.

I am also concerned about the Asian, Asian American and many other students who have been upset by this incident. I know that many meetings and conversations have taken place to discuss it. I understand your pain, and my sincere hope is that this incident will lead to better understanding and greater compassion for the experience of our entire community.

Finally, I want to ensure that the student who wrote the email understands the enriching role that people of diverse backgrounds will play in his life. But I also don't want this lapse in judgment to limit his prospects for the future. Dartmouth students are very talented, but we all make mistakes - especially when we are young.

I wasn't expecting to be addressing all of you again so soon, but I hope we can all learn from this incident and grow even closer as a community.

Baby and Mom are great, and I look forward to seeing everyone again in the very near future!

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Just when you thought this hilariously over-blown situation was about to resolve itself, the institutional activists (OPAL interns) snapped into action with an emergency meeting with campus power brokers Molly Bode, Sylvia Spears (of OPAL), and the Inter-Community Council. The outcome of this meeting was the drafting of a list of (non-binding) "punishments" for the author of the original satire:

- Tomorrow, the author and the members of GGMM will send out a campus-wide blitz apologizing to the Asian & Asian-American community, as well as Dartmouth as a whole, acknowledging not only the lack of oversight on GGMM's part, but also the deeply offensive nature of the blitz's contents.

-The author will be utilizing OPAL's resources to address underlying and perhaps subconscious biases that led to the blitz being composed and sent out.

-Upper level members of the Administration will be meeting tomorrow morning to assess the situation. This issue is being taken very serious [sic]. More information to come after President Wright and administrators meet.

In the near future:-Students will collaborate to organize a reception for President-Elect Kim. We hope to demonstrate to Dr. Kim that all of campus is very excited for his arrival.

-The author will compose a formal apology to President-Elect Kim.

More outrage (and an amusing apology from the culprit) after the jump.

Tonight the PAC interns and Elaine met with Sylvia Spears, Molly Bode, and representatives from the Inter-Community Council, Diversity Peer Advisor interns, and a member of General Good Morning Message (not the writer) to discuss the blitz that was sent out this morning.

As you now know, a blitz intended to be satirical and humorous was executed in poor taste and offended many people in our community, as well as in the entire campus. It has been made clear that no one on any level thinks what happened this morning was in any way acceptable, GGMM writers included. All 7 writers of the GGMM realize the gravity of the statements made in the blitz, regardless of intent, and are taking internal measures towards a resolution. The blitz from this morning will no longer be circulated.

Immediate updates:- Tomorrow, the author and the members of GGMM will send out a campus-wide blitz apologizing to the Asian & Asian-American community, as well as Dartmouth as a whole, acknowledging not only the lack of oversight on GGMM's part, but also the deeply offensive nature of the blitz's contents.

-The author will be utilizing OPAL's resources to address underlying and perhaps subconscious biases that led to the blitz being composed and sent out.

-Upper level members of the Administration will be meeting tomorrow morning to assess the situation. This issue is being taken very serious. More information to come after President Wright and administrators meet.

In the near future:-Students will collaborate to organize a reception for President-Elect Kim. We hope to demonstrate to Dr. Kim that all of campus is very excited for his arrival.

-The author will compose a formal apology to President-Elect Kim.

Additionally, the PAC Interns will be working with Nora and Elaine to address the impact of this blitz within our community. Please feel free to contact any of the PAC interns, Elaine, Nora, or any other OPAL staff if you are upset and/or have any concern. The Diversity Peer Advisors are also a great resource. They're student peers who are trained to talk about diversity issues like this. Blitz DPA if you'd like to set up a meeting with a peer advisor.

Please pass this information on to your membership and let us know of any questions or concerns.

Thank you for your concern and patience during this time. It's been a long day for many of us and all of us at PAC appreciate how students have risen to address this situation.

Hope you are all doing well. As president of the African Caribbean Society, I would like to clarify the previous blitz that was sent out moments ago through the AfriCa-So blitz account. The statements on the President-elect do NOT reflect the African Caribbean Society. A member of AfriCa-So, along with others, had come across a blitz from the individual who wrote the already mentioned statements on the President-elect. It seems the focus of the writer's voice was misinterpreted, and Below is a direct appology, from the writer, who has kept himself anonymous.

Sincerely,Catianne Ngante President of AfriCa-SoClass of 2011

******************************************************************From the desk of Lozar Theofilactidis:

Dear Dartmouth,

The comments I made in this morning's message were inappropriate. They were crap. I wanted us to laugh at racism, but it didn't work. I executed my satire poorly. It was insensitive. I'm sorry. I hope we can all learn from this and move on. Please accept my apology and excuse me while I beat myself with the silver spoons I was fed with all my life.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

The following blitz was sent by "AfriCaSo" this afternoon, purportedly in response to an offensive blitz (reproduced below) which was sent out yesterday regarding Jim Yong Kim's appointment. Dartlog also urges its readers to remain calm in the face of this admittedly sophomoric missive--only the specially-trained first responders at OPAL are qualified to deal with this calamity, which in our estimation scores somewhere between the Rape of Nanking and Japanese internment on the Richter Scale of injustice.

Members of Dartmouth community received the blitz below today. As you read this blitz, I caution you all to wait for administrators in OPAL to fully investigate the circumstances before acting.

Here it is:

This is the Generic Good Morning Message for March 3, 2009.

Yesterday came the announcement that President of the College James Wright will be replaced by Chinaman Kim Jim Yong. And a little bit of me died inside.

It was a complete supplies.

On July 1, yet another hard-working American's job will be taken by an immigrant willing to work in substandard conditions at near-subsistent wage, saving half his money and sending the rest home to his village in the form of traveler's checks. Unless "Jim Yong Kim" means "I love Freedom" in Chinese, I don't want anything to do with him. Dartmouth is America, not Panda Garden Rice Village Restaurant.

Y'all get ready for an Asianification under the guise of diversity under the actual Malaysian-invasion leadership instituted under the guise of diversity. It's a slippery slope we are on. I for one want Democracy and apple pie, not Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen. I know I sure as shit won't ever be eating my Hop dubs bubs with chopsticks. I like to use my own two American hands.

Monday, March 02, 2009

Harvard University professor Jim Yong Kim, a former director of the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS division renowned for his research on drug-resistant tuberculosis, will become Dartmouth's 17th president, College officials announced Monday. Kim's selection comes against the backdrop of the presidential search committee's calls for a leader with a commitment to graduate education and knowledge of medical schools.

UPDATE 03/02: Staffer Sterling C. Beard managed to shake hands with President-elect Kim and welcome him on behalf of The Review to campus. In that interaction, Pres. Kim told Sterling that:

1. He has read the book The Dartmouth Review Pleads Innocent, cover to cover;

2. That he read The Review's Dickey issue, from which he derived the inspiration for the Dickey reference in his speech. In that issue, we had Charlie Dameron '11's article on J-S Dickey himself, as well as two articles on the Dickey Center by Blair Bandeen '12 and Mike Edgar '11;

3. Finally, that he would be willing to--I think Sterling said "love to"--do an interview with The Review.

A message from President Wright this morning indicates that the wondering is over.

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to invite you to join me today, March 2 at 2 p.m. in Spaulding Auditorium. At that time Ed Haldeman, the Chair of the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, will introduce Dartmouth's 17th President. This event is open to all faculty, students, and staff. The doors to Spaulding will open at 1:45 p.m. and overflow seating is available in Cook Auditorium and Collis Common Ground. The event will also be available around the campus on DarTV.Susan and I also invite you to meet the President-elect at a reception in Alumni Hall this afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

As this is a very special moment in Dartmouth's history I encourage managers to be as flexible as possible regarding schedules so that staff are able to participate in one or both of today's events.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Unfortunately, we here at Dartlog have had to begin moderating comments, mostly thanks to incessant wow gold spam. Therefore, don't be perturbed if your comment doesn't appear for a while. We'll try to weed out the spam and the legitimate comments as quickly as possible.